They'll Come Back Again
by Gretalie Moores
Summary: Minerva's musings on the trio's graduation day. A tiny weeny bit of ADMM, and a hint of RWHG and HPGW. Woo Hoo


Disclaimer: Unfortunately I own nothing.......sob.

**They'll Come Back Again**

'It's strange to think that is has been seven years since The-Boy-Who-Lived passed through the main entrance doors. But that is how long it has been, as I look down on the pupils in front of me, for once not frowning, but beaming at them. So much hope, so much enthusiasm, and so much to live for.

I remember seeing them all standing at the front door to Hogwarts; frightened, yet excited, their eyes full of wonder and awe, and somewhat apprehensive, and, by having eyes in the back of my head (supposedly), I saw them all eyeing the Sorting Hat suspiciously. Three of them caught my eye, no guesses there as to who they were.

And somehow, even though I was watching them all the time, they grew up without me realising. Those three caused me so much trouble, so much heartache, but then again, so much joy.

I shake myself from my musings as my Gryffindors start to file up to the podium to shake hands with the Headmaster and their head of house. Albus always told me it was tradition. I told him he was lying, I never shook the hand of my head if house at my graduation, which, to tell you the truth, disappointed me slightly. Not that it matters now. I get to do more than shake Albus's hand.

I barely register my pupils as they walk by one by one; Seamus and Dean, the inseparable pair of boys still disagreeing on that poster of Dean's; Lavender and Parvati, still devoted to Divination, but they've become the beautiful young witches I always knew they would be; Neville Longbottom trails behind them, tripping over the hem of his robes, and so I quickly grab his hand to stop him from falling. He mumbles a 'thank you' and I wink at him in reply. He seems slightly surprised, but smiles broadly, looking so much like his mother.

Before I know it, the first of the golden trio has stood in front of me. Ronald Weasley. No longer tall and lanky, but tall and handsome. Luckily, I still tower over him, but I shake his hand and watch as his girlfriend comes to stand in front of me. I breathe deeply; this is becoming harder than I thought it would be, and I blink to stop the tears that are prickling at the back of my eyes. The last time I felt like this was the Marauders graduation. Still, I seem to be fairing better than Hermione, whose hands are shaking and eyes are full of tears. I know how she feels; when Hogwarts has been your home for seven years, it seems wrong to be leaving it. She too whispers an almost inaudible 'thank you' and I squeeze her hand reassuringly, before she too moves on.

It takes almost all of my self-control not to break down there and then. Harry has been through so much I just want to gather him in my arms and never let go, but I can't. He has Ginny though, and as I glance at her I see tears running down her face. He knows how much I care though. Ever since I gave him career advice he came to me more and more. All three of them did and I suppose that's why we became so close. Harry smiles his winning smile at me, but only my shaking hands reveal how I feel. He nods in what I presume is a silent agreement.

I barely hear Albus' final speech, the one he usually gives to the seventh years before they leave for good. As they walk out of the Great Hall for the last time, my sad thoughts leave me for a moment as I organise the rest of the school into carriages to take them to the station. As usual, the last ones to go are the ones who are leaving and not coming back for another year. They hang on for as long as they can, trying to savour the happiness they had. But in the end they have to go.

The trio climb into the last carriage, but I turn to go inside. I don't like to watch them leaving. It saddens me to no end, and then I get highly emotional, so Albus and I go to our rooms and have a game of chess. It takes my mind off things and I always like to see him try and beat me.

As I climb the steps, I dare to look back, and to my astonishment, see that one of carriages has stopped, and Harry, Hermione and Ron are almost running back. Thinking that they must have forgotten something, I retrace my steps. I suddenly find myself in the midst of a tangle of arms as all three of them hug me. They each have tears pouring down their faces, and that alone is enough to shatter my stern façade. I find myself hugging them back, tears also releasing themselves from my eyes. We stand there for near enough five minutes, not saying anything. Unintentionally, I use these minutes to think. They may be going home to their families (or adoptive families in Harry's case), but I have been more or less their mother for the past seven years, and that's not something they or I can let go easily.

I pull away, aware of the time and the fact that the Hogwarts Express will not wait forever, no matter how much Hagrid tries to delay it. Each of them stammer apologies, but I hold up my hand and assure them that it's no problem and that the last time any students did that was when the Marauders left. I walk them back to the carriage and tell them to keep in touch, let me know what they're doing and if they ever have the time, come and visit. Harry makes me laugh as he says they'll visit so often I'll be sick of them. Ron and Hermione nod in agreement. As I shut the door to the carriage, I offer them one last goodbye and tell them to make the most of themselves, before walking back up the path and up the steps to the castle. Turning to see them half-hanging out of the carriage waving, I wave back and jump in surprise as an arm finds its way around my waist. I turn to see Albus with a questioning look in his eyes.

"They're different," I say, taking his hand and guiding him inside, "they came back once and they'll be back again."

And with that I close the door behind me, symbolically closing the door on the past year.

* * *

AN: This just came to me one day...while I was supposed to be writing an essay...please review...it's my birthday on saturday (4th Dec) and reviews make great presents!


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